Friday, October 7, 2011

recipe: RAISIN CURRY CHICKEN

This is a simple and flavorful recipe that is mainly made up of items that you probably already have left over in your refrigerator! Check it out...

INGREDIENTS:

2 - 3 lb chicken cut into 1/8ths

3 roma tomatoes

1/2 red onion

1 garlic clove

3 fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

dash of turmeric

salt and pepper

wedge of lemon

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375.

Wash chicken and place in a large baking dish. (I like to take a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil, coarse salt, and turmeric and rub them directly on the chicken before I do anything else. I find that this makes the meat extra tender and fall off the bone. This is optional step and this amount of olive oil and salt would be in addition to the amounts listed above.)

Chop tomatoes, onions and garlic and place in a large mixing bowl. Finely chop the mint leaves and add to the bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix. Pour the mixture over the chicken.

Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Place in the oven. (Placing the foil over the baking dish will help to lock in moisture and flavor. If you want the chicken to brown a little and the skin to be a little bit crispy you can remove the foil for the last 20 to 30 minutes of cook time.)

Cook times will vary on how large your chicken is. It is recommended to cook a chicken for about half an hour per pound. So if you have a 3 lb chicken then you should bake it for approximately 1 1/2 hours.If you are cooking for one, then this is the perfect thing to make on Sunday and eat all week. Just store the cooked chicken in the refrigerator in some sort of sealed container or in a dish cover with foil or plastic wrap. It will be good to eat for about 4 days. You can reheat the chicken and eat it on its own or pull the meat off the bone and use it in a sandwich or salad.

You can also use the meat along with the curry mix and serve it over rice, as seen here!